Feb 3, 2014, 1:11 pm
Last edit by: PointsNmiles
Wikipost instructions: Signed in members can minimize or maximize Wikipost by clicking on [-] or [+] box upper right of post.
Members with 90 posts and 90 days on FlyerTalk can edit this Wikipost to update.
This list is not an endorsement of any particular award booking service.
Please do your research and read this thread.
Members with 90 posts and 90 days on FlyerTalk can edit this Wikipost to update.
This list is not an endorsement of any particular award booking service.
Please do your research and read this thread.
Please refer to the FT Disclaimers for disclaimer of responsibility for use of these services, etc.
Please feel free add other services and options you are aware of to this wiki.
Also, please post any personal experiences you may have with any of these services in this thread.
Reviews which appear to have been solicited by the service providers based upon content and posting history will be deleted. If you are a brand new or a member with a low post count and wish that your post not be deleted, please be sure to include the following details in your review: program(s), number of miles or points and the desired destinations and hotels. Please also include the itinerary booked by the service including the airlines, routing and hotels, the number of points needed to book that trip and the fee charged.
Award booking services (alphabetical):
- Award Advocate - Domestic $100 p/p International $125 p/p, no additional charge for last minute. Changes $50. Also 10% discount for families traveling with children and active military
- Award Booking Service - $25 up front search fee plus $150/ticket & $49 per 30-minute skype consultations (ask anything!)
- Award Butler - Award Search: $79 for up to two passengers; flight info provided but does not include booking. Booking starting at $149 for first two passengers.
- Award Chaser - Search fee starting at $79. Itinerary only - no booking provided
- Award Expert - (MatthewLAX on FT, Live and Let's Fly blog) $150 first passenger, $100 each additional passenger; $250 per person for RTW; $50/ticket booking fee.
- Award Flight Assist - Specialising in Australian frequent flyer programs; from AU$199 for the first passenger, additional charges for complex itineraries and more passengers
- Award Planners - One way $129, additional person $99; Round trip $199, additional person $99; Multi City $249 additional person $149
- Award Travel Consulting - Award Search: $125/person; Booking ticket: $75/itinerary; changes: new trip
- Awardmagic - $179 per person OW/RT plus one stop or $279 per person for three or more destinations
- BoundlessMiles - (Dominik Żmuda/Travelling the World): Booking: starting at $50 per passenger; Changes: half of award flight service fee paid
- CabinChief - Bookings are $49 per pax
- CatchUsFlying - $125 CAD/person for round-trip, $225 CAD/person for complex round-the-world. Consulting available at $75CAD/hour. (loganre17) on FT
- Chatflights - Use app to chat in real time with real travel hackers to book travel for points or cash. Booking fee $295 pp coach and business, $395 pp first class.
- Cranky Concierge - $75 per person each way domestic; $95 per person each way international
- First Class and Beyond - "Concierge-style" bookings. Fee is based on the value of the retail ticket, $250/person minimum.
- Flightfox - Consultative flight searching; fees start at $100 (requires credit card authorization up front)
- Flyermiles - (Graham / YOWgary) $150 + 50 per additional person, $250 for RTW awards. Offers detailed information on how to book your own award.
- iflywithmiles.com - (Mike/Melissa): 150 USD first person, 85 for additional person on same itin. Change fees vary.
- JJ Award Travel - FT Member since 2012 - No upfront fees. Basic one-way or round-trip air award travel consisting of a total of 8 legs or less for the entire itinerary: $250 for the first person and $125 for each additional person. Complex one-way or round-trip air award travel consisting of a total of 9 or more legs per direction is additional. FT members get a 10% discount.
- Loophole Travel - Award Travel Coaching $150 for first passenger and $100 for each additional passenger. Points Earning and MS Coaching also available.
- Luxury Travel Consulting - (Jasper2009 on Flyertalk): $150 per person per ticket
- Miles Help - Domestic: $100 OW; $140 RT/complex. International: $150 OW; $200 RT/complex. $50 each additional person
- Miles Momma Booking Services - Airline Booking: $200 up to 2 passengers. $75 additional passengers. $50 non-refundable up front. Changes $50
- MileValue Award Booking Service - (Scott Grimmer): Booking: $125 per person per award; $15 up front. Full payment required for successful search even if not booked. Change fee not currently listed; previously $79
- PMM Travel Consulting - (Miguel R. Quinones/AwardWallet Blog): Booking: $125 per passenger for the first two, $99 for each additional. Additional charges for complex itineraries. Credit card advice and travel planning services.
- Point.me - merger of services formerly provided by PointsPro (Ben Schlappig/One Mile At a Time) and Juice Miles
- Reward Flyer - Domestic: $50 first person; $25 each additional person. International: $100 first person; $50 each additional person
- SFO777.com - (SFO777 on FT) Booking: $200 first passenger, $100 each additional passenger; change fees vary
- Travel Codex - Per person pricing: $50 for North America award / $100 for International award.
- The Flying Mustache - $100 per ticket; additional fees for more than eight segments. Change fees vary
- The Short Final - $100 per person. $100 upfront deposit that is fully refundable if no itinerary found.
- Travel Is The Point - USA, Canada/Mexico & the Caribbean – starting at $50 per person. All Other International Destinations – starting at $100 per person.
- zainman - FT member since 2009. Booking: $200 first passenger, $100 each additional passenger; change fees vary, consultant services for $ as well
- Zero Hassle Rewards - $100 per person. Discounts for domestic and one-way
Award booking services - a list and some reviews
May 28, 2014, 7:23 pm
#226
Join Date: May 2004
Programs: AA lifetime platinum, Jet Blue Mosaic
Posts: 438
Jun 23, 2014, 12:30 pm
#228
Join Date: Feb 2014
Posts: 314
Not sure about the thread rules but I just sent juicymiles a request. Will update everyone on the progress. I am familiar with award booking and did quite a bit of searching on multiple websites. Have both kvs and experflyer and use them on relatively constant basis, so have an idea about baseline costs of miles.
The itinerary is BLR -> Europe stopover open jaw -> SEA stopover with a domestic free leg if possible -> HKG stopover with possible open jaw in asia -> BLR
Have about 100k in AA, 50K in AS, 160K in UR. Class of service doesn't matter.
Do we have another thread for a reverse bidding by the booking services ? I think that will be even more helpful.
The itinerary is BLR -> Europe stopover open jaw -> SEA stopover with a domestic free leg if possible -> HKG stopover with possible open jaw in asia -> BLR
Have about 100k in AA, 50K in AS, 160K in UR. Class of service doesn't matter.
Do we have another thread for a reverse bidding by the booking services ? I think that will be even more helpful.
Jun 24, 2014, 8:52 am
#229
Join Date: Feb 2014
Posts: 314
Review is for juicymiles
Contacted and got a pretty fast response (under 30 mins i think). Two emails to clarify the request some more. Cordial person. The cost structure is not a flat $125 for a book or a trip search was my understanding at the end. It seemed like even if they break your round trip into two one ways they charge a slightly higher ($175) for the whole trip. May be i misunderstood it but that's what it seemed like.
Anyway, it might be a worthy consideration for someone who absolutely is pressed against time to look at award charts or booking websites. I decided to not go ahead with them considering $175 is a lot per person for about an hour or two of work.
Contacted and got a pretty fast response (under 30 mins i think). Two emails to clarify the request some more. Cordial person. The cost structure is not a flat $125 for a book or a trip search was my understanding at the end. It seemed like even if they break your round trip into two one ways they charge a slightly higher ($175) for the whole trip. May be i misunderstood it but that's what it seemed like.
Anyway, it might be a worthy consideration for someone who absolutely is pressed against time to look at award charts or booking websites. I decided to not go ahead with them considering $175 is a lot per person for about an hour or two of work.
Not sure about the thread rules but I just sent juicymiles a request. Will update everyone on the progress. I am familiar with award booking and did quite a bit of searching on multiple websites. Have both kvs and experflyer and use them on relatively constant basis, so have an idea about baseline costs of miles.
The itinerary is BLR -> Europe stopover open jaw -> SEA stopover with a domestic free leg if possible -> HKG stopover with possible open jaw in asia -> BLR
Have about 100k in AA, 50K in AS, 160K in UR. Class of service doesn't matter.
Do we have another thread for a reverse bidding by the booking services ? I think that will be even more helpful.
The itinerary is BLR -> Europe stopover open jaw -> SEA stopover with a domestic free leg if possible -> HKG stopover with possible open jaw in asia -> BLR
Have about 100k in AA, 50K in AS, 160K in UR. Class of service doesn't matter.
Do we have another thread for a reverse bidding by the booking services ? I think that will be even more helpful.
Jun 24, 2014, 10:23 am
#230
Join Date: Oct 2011
Location: BUR / LAX
Programs: UA MM/Gold; WN A-list; HH something depending; Marriott Gold
Posts: 1,552
Not sure this would be helpful. There are some price differences, sure, but I found the consultant I like after talking to a few others and not connecting quite the same way. It is a personal service for me, so not fungible (to me, at least -- but I use him for complicated or important tickets where his expertise always comes through, and he's familiar with my desires, vs simple itineraries that I can muddle through).
Jun 25, 2014, 3:12 pm
#231
Join Date: Apr 2005
Location: Dallas
Programs: MR LTP, Hyatt Globalist, Hilton Gold
Posts: 317
Not sure this would be helpful. There are some price differences, sure, but I found the consultant I like after talking to a few others and not connecting quite the same way. It is a personal service for me, so not fungible (to me, at least -- but I use him for complicated or important tickets where his expertise always comes through, and he's familiar with my desires, vs simple itineraries that I can muddle through).
Jun 25, 2014, 4:35 pm
#232
Join Date: Oct 2011
Location: BUR / LAX
Programs: UA MM/Gold; WN A-list; HH something depending; Marriott Gold
Posts: 1,552
Jun 29, 2014, 12:50 pm
#233
Join Date: Feb 2014
Location: MD-DC-VA
Posts: 50
Is using an award booking service really worth it? My experience so far: They look on the websites of the airlines and tell me what I already know. If I pay serious fees I expect some creativity, the use of expert tools and the willingness to make some calls.
Jun 30, 2014, 12:45 am
#234
Join Date: Oct 2011
Location: BUR / LAX
Programs: UA MM/Gold; WN A-list; HH something depending; Marriott Gold
Posts: 1,552
That's up to you. It is like any consulting service (computer programming or personal assistant or project management or ???) -- could you do it? Is it worth paying for? Is the price worth it? Only you can decide.
Personally, I have been VERY satisfied paying for the help when I need help (like for my honeymoon with complex requirements or a trip that can only fit specific parameters where I don't have the time or skill to figure it out).
Jul 6, 2014, 7:07 pm
#237
Join Date: May 2002
Location: Arizona
Posts: 5,689
Even if you are a flyertalk addict and read all the threads sometimes you can forget very helpful hints that the booking services offer. Also they have time and may know how to reach the right CSR at an airline that knows what they are doing. Otherwise you may end up with CSR roulette.
Jul 7, 2014, 5:15 pm
#238
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Aug 2002
Location: Intermountain West
Programs: Too many to list
Posts: 12,082
Huge thread here: http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/trave...e-reviews.html
Jul 7, 2014, 6:12 pm
#239
Community Director Emerita
Join Date: Oct 2000
Location: Anywhere warm
Posts: 33,745
Huge thread here: http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/trave...e-reviews.html